----2018 ICHPER.SD Forum. Held in conjunction with the SHAPE America Annual Convention and Exposition: March 20-24, 2018 Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.A.-------The 44th Volume of the Journal of ICHPER-SD has been released and sent via e-mail to all members.-------

Membership

A project of the International Council for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, Sport, and Dance (ICHPER•SD)

in collaboration with United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

PREFACE

A hallmark of a profession is delivery of quality services to consumers, meeting a fundamental human right. Therefore, it is incumbent upon the physical education profession (or aspiring profession as the case may be), to define itself, and establish and promulgate standards for physical education curricula in schools, globally.

THE NEED

It is generally accepted, and scientifically demonstrated, that physical activity is an important aspect of human life, and physical education is an integral part of the formal education process. Importance and status of physical education in schools throughout the world is increasingly being challenged, manifesting itself in a reduction of dedicated time, infringement by other subjects and activities, and interference on the quality of physical education curricula.

This serious dilemma has and will continue to erode the physical well-being and health of children/adolescents, resulting in inadequate levels of physical fitness to engage in life’s functions, increasing incidences of obesity, unnecessary illnesses, and premature deaths.

In turn, erosion of the physical well-being and health of children/adolescents results in erosion of a nation’s health, and thus, our world’s health.

RESOLUTION

Whereas,

the quality of an individual’s (and a nation’s) well-being and health may be in direct proportion to the quality of physical education curricula experienced; and

insuring quality physical education curricula is a responsibility of physical educators, with ultimate accountability resting with the profession; and

insuring quality physical education experiences for every child/adolescent calls for advocacy by the profession; and

professional physical educators are primary caregivers of children/ adolescents with regard to physical education; and

schools are primary venues through which physical education should be delivered.

Whereas,

the International Charter of Physical Education and Sport, supported by UNESCO Member States (Preamble, Art. 1, 1978; reaffirmed by ICHPER•SD, 1991), declares:

access to physical education and sport should be guaranteed for all;

physical education and sport is a fundamental right for all; and

Convention of the Rights of the Child (UNICEF, Art. 29, Sec. 1a, b, September 2, 1990), states that education shall be directed to:

the development of the child’s personality, talents, and mental and physical abilities to his/her fullest potential;

the development of respect for human rights;

ICHPER•SD resolved to develop global standards identifying essential knowledge and skills central to school programs (Seoul Resolution on the Right of School-Age Youth to be Physically Educated, World-Wide, July, 1997); and

urges other multi-national professional organizations and non-government groups to advocate for greater prominence of and right of all school-age youth to quality physical education programs; and

ICHPER•SD joined in support of the Chiba (Japan) Declaration in Sport For All (TAFISA, UNESCO-CIGERS, ICSSPE, FMS, ICHPER•SD, FISU/CESU/IAKS, 1994); and

the North American Regional Forum (Canadian AHPERD, and the American AHPERD) through united efforts to influence personal well-being of all children and youth in 2000 and beyond, stated in its Global Vision for School Physical Education (June, 1995):

all students in every grade should have rights and opportunities to experience quality, daily physical education;

the World Conference on Women and Sport (Lausanne, Switzerland, October 14-16, 1996), resolved that the International Olympic Committee be encouraged to join efforts to create global programs of physical education in schools, to realize more fully the Olympic Ideal; and

the European Physical Education Association (EUPEA), through its united efforts to improve physical education in schools (LaPorte, 1997):

reported emphasis on quality of physical education is reflected in the new national curricula in various countries;

was proposing to government agencies a minimum time and/or days allocated for physical education in European schools; and

the World Summit on Physical Education (ICSSPE, Berlin, Germany, November 3-5, 1999), reinforced and advocated for importance of every child across the world to have quality physical education appropriate for the culture, social, and economic system in which it is provided; and

importance of physical education and sport as essential elements and integral parts in the process of continuing education;

importance of physical education as a fundamental right for every child and youngster around the world;

that UNESCO direct its attention to improving physical education and sport in primary and secondary schools by developing, sharing, and promoting modern curricular development; and

the World-Wide Survey of the State and Status of School Physical Education (K. Hardman and J.J. Marshall, University of Manchester, UK, April, 2000), with the support of International Council of Sport Science and Physical Education and other international and regional agencies, affirmed that physical education has been pushed into a defensive position, suffering from decreased time allocation, budgetary constraints, low academic status, and under-valuation by authorities. The survey advocated:

increased, action-oriented partnerships of all concerned organizations and agencies;

concerted international actions by all concerned to enable compliance with UNESCO’s advocacy statement espousing the principle of physical education as a fundamental human right.

Therefore be it resolved that,

the physical education profession assume its responsibility for helping to insure quality physical education curricula for every child/adolescent, globally, by:

advocating for access to quality physical education as a fundamental human right for every child/adolescent, globally; and

establishing global professional standards for quality physical education curricula in schools; and

promulgating adoption and actualization of the global professional standards by national professional organizations.

ACTUALIZATION

To actualize the above resolve, ICHPER•SD (in collaboration with and approval by UNESCO), will:

develop International Standards for Physical Education and Sport for School Children (appended). The standards can be characterized as:

appropriate for age groups within the structure of the school entity (i.e., ages 5 -18).

prepare an advocacy statement, Physical Education – a Fundamental Human Right. The statement should emphasize essential roles of physical education in human development, right of access by all children/adolescents, and place of physical education in schools (appended).

prepare a plan for promoting the adoption of the Standards for Physical Education and Sport for School Children by national and international professional organizations. It is not intended that the plan ignore the important role of governmental agencies in establishing school curricula; rather, it will accentuate central roles of the profession in developing professional standards and influencing school curricula (appended).

disseminate its Global Standards for Professional Preparation of Physical Educators (ICHPER•SD October, 1997), and implement the companion Registry of Programs/Institutions Which Meet Global Standards for Professional Preparation in Physical Education (ICHPER•SD, May, 1999) (appended). The Standards can be characterized as:

To advance the actualization of the above, ICHPER•SD, will use the following forums to review, refine, and garner a collective professional voice among world leaders:

ICHPER•SD encouraged the 1st Africa Regional Congress (University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria, October 17-19, 2000), to integrate these matters into its agenda. The theme was Dimensions of Physical Education and Sports Literacy in Professionalization of Physical Education and Sports in the African Educational System.

ICHPER•SD encouraged the 3rd ICHPER•SD Asia Congress Kuala-Lumpur, (Malaysia, November 23-26, 2000), to integrate these matters in its theme, Information Technology Towards a Better Asia: A Focus on Sport, Health and Physical Education.

ICHPER•SD will sponsor the 2nd Leadership Conference (Cincinnati, Ohio, March 27-31, 2001), which is to have as its primary focus, Implementation Strategies for Professional Standards.

ICHPER•SD will commit future ICHPER•SD conferences to include programming which enhances the development of a universal professional voice.